Hard to understand…

The trip to the orphanage turned out way better than expected.  It was fun and exciting to spend time with the kids.  What was most important was that they are very well taken care of by the house parents.  They were joyful and outgoing kids and promised to teach me a little about the game of cricket when we come back next week.  We were able to look at the building and the plans that Pastor Samuel has for the second floor.  He does have a great vision for the orphanage.  One of the best parts of the visit was to have each child recite a Psalm from memory… they are good!  Right before we left, we were also blessed to be able to pray for each child.  It was really a neat experience.

Hard to Understand…

Early this morning, we walked around the surrounding neighborhood and were exposed to the stark contrast between the wealthy and poor.  As we walked down one street, it was clearly more affluent with nice houses and clean streets.  But, we barely turned the corner and were hit with people living on the street and the filth that exists because of it.  The middle picture shows the riverbed (dry from lack of rain) barely a block from an affluent neighborhood and maybe two blocks from the hotel.  The were dozens of people (and animals) going to the bathroom, washing themselves and cleaning their clothes.  It was hard to look at.  From there we walked all over the place and everywhere we went it was the same – rich and poor all mixed together.  The third picture is from a small market where people were selling fruits and vegetables.

We have spent countless hours driving around Madurai to get where we need to go and the sights and sounds of the city are overwhelming!  Later this afternoon, we will head to the other orphanage.  I can’t wait to meet the kids!